We left from the Manhattan terminal as Brooklyn was still damaged after hurricane Sandy. Embarkation was ok and we were soon directed to our cabin. This was a balcony cabin which was very roomy with comfortable bed with lovely pillows, there was also a seating area and loads of storage space. The balcony was small but not a problem Transatlantic in November. There was a welcoming bottle of champagne waiting for us which was a nice touch. We met our Cabin steward who was very pleasant.

We went to find Kings Court the buffet restaurant for some lunch first thing I noticed was not many people using the hand sanitisers. All the areas in the buffet were very confusing with waiters sending you miles to find what you were looking for. Endless queues for coffee as they were always running out of milk. The best area was the sandwich bar where you could make up your own fillings.

We familiarised ourselves with the ship after lunch. It certainly is a beautiful ship but decided very early on there was no real hub or soul. The nicest area is the Chart room which has very comfortable seats for reading or listening to the piano. The Champagne bar next door is used as an overflow for passengers waiting for seats to be vacated in the Chart room but the seats in the Champagne bar were not at all comfortable. Read more